Meet the Author

The FermentedlyChallenged blog has been retired since the end of October 2016. It has been a great 9 year run. Thanks to all the readers and brewery staff for all your support in the past. I'm living in the Denver metro area and working in the Cable TV industry now. Cheers and enjoy beer responsibly. Follow along on social media - @ChipperDave on Twitter and on Facebook.

Thursday, January 16, 2014

Today is the 94th anniversary of the start of Prohibition. The 18th Amendment went into effect in 1920 on this date banning liquor manufacturing, sale and transportation and importing. And so began a long 13 year drought where our favorite beverage (beer) could not be consumed (legally). No wonder the USA went into a depression. Thank the brewers that there is no more prohibition today. Mark this day well and celebrate your right to drink beer. Here's what's happening around the Colorado beerosphere today Thursday, January 16th, 2014. If you aren't reading this article on FermentedlyChallenged.com, you don't know what you're missing.

Lone Tree Brewing Co (Lone Tree) - It's Trivia Thursday! The questions start at 6pm...join us for two rounds, the winner of each round will receive a growler of their choice.
In addition we have 12 wonderful beers on tap and the delicious foods of East Coast Joe's Food Truck.

Wynkoop Brewing Co (Denver) - Miss the taste of their Rocky Mountain Oyster Stout? Been hunting for it? Federal Plaza Liquors on N. Federal has one case left. Get it quick. It's some of the only stock they know of at the moment, Wynkoop doesn't even have any.Parry's Pizza (Greenwood Village) - Coming up next week on Thursday, January 23rd at 5pm, Parry's in Greenwood Village will be hosting a Boulder Beer Pint Night. Reps from Boulder Beer will be on hand talking about their beer and conducting finger wrestling matches. Well, maybe there won't be finger wrestling. But, they will have plenty of their pint glasses on hand to give out to those that purchase one of their beers. Shake Chocolate Porter will be $3 for this event.

Cannonball Creek Brewing Co (Golden) - Their Anniversary Trippel is set to be tapped this Saturday, January 18th along with their School of Mines Homebrew Club collaboration ale and numerous one-off specialty kegs. They will release their full tapping schedule tomorrow, but one special brew will be an Espresso Battlecat Stout and a Tangerine Featherweight Pale.

Hops & Pie (Denver) - New beer tappings today. Stop in for a bite and try the Ruthless Rye from Sierra Nevada or the Abbey Ale from Ommegang. Now on tap!

Hogshead Brewery (Denver) - A reminder that this Sunday at 2pm Hogshead Brewery will be releasing their "Beer From the Wood Series - East India Porter". The brew will be served out of an oak firkin. They will also have the Broncos game on in the taproom.

Hall Brewing Co (Parker) - Coming soon, their Whiskey Barrel-aged IPA. It's been aging away ever since December 2012 and it's about ready. Look for word soon on when it will be tapped.

Stem Ciders (Denver) - Join in tonight for their Thursday Night Bluegrass Jam. Bring your instrument to the taproom and get $1 off your drinks all night. Jam starts at 7:00pm but feel free to come early and grab a cider and some eats from tonight's food truck, The Bomb.

Station 26 Brewing Co (Denver) - Today's firkin tapping is their Red IPA mixed with black and red chipotles and cacao nibs. This brew taps at 4pm. Also Barbed Wire Reef will be out front serving up wild game brats and burgers.

Our Mutual Friend Malt & Brew (Denver) - Save the date for Thursday, January 23rd at 4pm. That's when OMF will be hosting a release party for their Chinook Red Ale. Also on hand will be Quiero Arepas (food truck) and live jazz/soul music from Ryan Means.

De Steeg Brewing (Denver) - There's a new beer on tap tonight - Dry Hopped Dark Rye (7.0% ABV). Stop in and give it a try.

Boulder County

The Post Brewing Co (Lafayette) - Fresh off the heals of their recent opening, the brewery now will be tapping their first official beer release tomorrow, January 17th at 4pm. This one will be "Lil' Buddy", an American-style Bitter. Also remember, hot chicken loves to be paired with cold beer.

Großen Bart Brewery (Boulder/Longmont area) - The New Year is bringing new changes and possibilities. Recently, one of their previous partners, Chad, has decided to go a different direction. In the interim, the remaining owners have teamed up with Jeff Crabtree from Crabtree Brewing Company in Greeley, CO. Jeff brings in over a decade of experience in brewing and has won several awards for his craft beers. Großen Bart has been working closely with Crabtree developing their new recipes for Großen Bart and will be brewing along side him on his 10 barrel system producing up to 20 barrels a month. They will be kegging and distributing their beer to many different restaurants and pubs throughout Colorado. Großen Bart also teamed up with Mobile Canning and plan on canning a good portion of their beer for liquor store sales. The brewery is still hunting for the right location to open a taproom and brew house. They plan on importing their kegs from Crabtree Brewery to their new taproom and selling fresh pints from there as they slowly build out their 10 barrel brew house. This will allow them to open their doors and put cold pints in your hands more quickly. (Image from Großen Bart's Facebook page)

Crystal Springs Brewing Co (Louisville) - Attention All Teachers! It's Faculty Friday tomorrow (January 17th). There will be Happy Hour from 4pm to 9pm with your faculty ID! Jim will be there with his amazing wings and brats as well.

West Flanders Brewing Co (Boulder) - Breaking news! West Flanders is getting taken over by Funkwerks. Well, at least 3 taps are and only for 1 day on Friday starting at 5pm. They'll have guest taps of Funkwerks' Saison, Tropic King aged in Peach Whiskey barrels and Trois Brett. In other breaking news, the NFL has sent West Flanders a cease & desist letter regarding the name of their new beer "Brett on the Broncos". The brewery is being "told" to change the name of that beer due to naming rights claims. Stay tuned for more on this.

Boulder Strong Ale Fest (Boulder) - Reminder - Tickets for the 12th Annual Boulder Strong Ale Fest (February 28th) at Avery Brewing go on sale tomorrow morning at 9am MST! Last year tickets for both sessions sold out in less than a day, so get ready to celebrate these beers of brawn! Tickets available at strongalefest.eventbrite.com. Each ticket includes 16 pours and a commemorative glass. Food will be available for purchase. Because this event is for charity, there are no discounted designated driver tickets and no refunds. This is a 21+ event -- please leave your children and dog-children at home.

Northern Colorado

Funkwerks (Ft. Collins) - Funkwerks is planning to host two big beer releases this month. Starting off this Saturday, January 18th, they will release their "Cognac Barrel Aged Deceit". This Belgian-style golden ale weighs in at 9.5% ABV and was aged for 18 months in in a single oak cognac barrel. This beer pours a pure golden color with aromas of apricot and spice. Notes of caramel and vanilla from the cognac combine with a light malty sweetness from their base beer and are balanced by oak tannins that lead to a dry finish. This beer is refermented in the bottle to develop more complex flavors and add natural effervescence. Then, coming up the next Saturday, January 25th, is the release of Dark Prophet, a barrel aged Belgian-style dark ale. After aging a portion of this deep mahogany dark strong ale in bourbon barrels for two months, they blended it back with the base beer to produce the fast-selling winter seasonal that sits before you. Rich aromas of vanilla, caramel, and dark fruits carry into the flavor; Oak tannins from the barrel aging balance notes of dark chocolate and spice. A touch of alcohol warmth in the dry finish will warm you up on a cold night. 9.5% ABV. Both are available in bottles for a limited time.

Verboten Brewing (Loveland) - Verboten is turning 1! Join in for a three-day anniversary celebration, January 30 through February 1. On Thursday, Jan. 30 they close the taproom for a 5 beer/4 course pairing dinner. Tickets are $55 per person and can be purchased in our taproom or by calling 970-775-7371. Limited seats are available. Attendees receive a commemorative glass and first opportunity to purchase bottle releases. On Friday, Jan. 31 they'll tap several barrel aged and sour limited release beers. Commemorative glasses available while supplies last. Then on Saturday, Feb. 1st additional specialty sour and barrel beers will be tapped, free anniversary cake, and their bottle releases are open to the public. Limited supplies available.

Patrick's Irish Pub (Greeley) - Need somewhere to watch the game? Patrick's Irish Pub will be opening at 1:00 pm on Sunday to show the Broncos vs. Patriots Playoff game. Enjoy $2 off any of their 20oz beers during the game. Over 30 beers on tap including Alaskan Brewing Barley Wine, Prost Brewing Pils, and Brouwerij Van Honsebrouck Kasteel Cuvee Du Chateau (Belgian Quad). Crabtree Dearfield Ale on special tonight for $3.50 all day.

Berthoud Brewing Co (Berthoud) - This upcoming new brewery is still working hard to open their brewery at 450 S. 8th Street in Berthoud. They've been focusing on their build out. Some plans have been pushed back and now the brewery will open around the mid-April timeframe.

Grist Brewing Co (Highlands Ranch) - Firkin Thursday is back and today they will be tapping a firkin of Nutella Brown at 4pm sharp. Don't pass this one up.

Equinox Brewing (Ft. Collins) - Space Ghost Oddity Part Deux! At noon they'll be tapping a firkin of Space Ghost IPA conditioned with lemon zest. And the stars look very different today too! Stop in for a taste.

Crow Hop Brewing Co (Loveland) - It's just about time for Crow Hop to tap their next rotator! This Saturday, January 18th, they're releasing the Big Water Nut Brown Ale! To complement the release, Taggart and Silus will be playing a live set from 6 to 9 and Bedrock BBQ will be serving up award winning BBQ from 4pm to 8pm. Located at 217 East 3rd Street in Loveland, CO.

Tap and Handle (Ft. Collins) - From February 10th to February 16th treat your significant other, or yourself, to an entire week of flavorful bliss. They will be switching out their lines out for as many Sour beers as they can find (plus some they saved) for the entire week of Valentines. On top of that, Head Chef Melissa B. will create amazing desserts to compliment your sour desires! This may not guarantee that you will get lucky every night, but it sure won't hurt your chances. No reservations or tickets needed.

Southern Front Range

Great Storm Brewing (Colorado Springs) - Due to popular request, starting on January 28th, Great Storm Brewing will be open on Tuesdays for the drinking pleasure of their patrons.

Mountains and West

Dostal Alley Brewing Co & Casino (Central City) - Get United in Orange! Dostal Alley invites you to come watch the DENVER BRONCOS end the New England Patriots season this Sunday, Jan 19th. They will have free appetizers, drink specials and lots of Orange! Come and help them be their own version of the South Stands!

Pagosa Brewing Co (Pagosa Springs) - There's a new beer tapping this weekend - their British Amber. It will be on tap for Mug Clubbers today and then on Saturday at 5pm it will be available for the general public.

Rockslide Brewery (Grand Junction) - This year marks the Rockslide's 20th anniversary! For this momentous occasion they are offering a yearly seasonal, Platinum Blonde! Made with Northwest premium two row base malt, a touch of caramel malt for color and a dash of wheat for body and head retention this beer is designed to be the penultimate lawnmower beer. Hop-bursted with Willamette and Cascade hops for a lively flavor and aroma, this beer is anything but bitter. At 4.9% ABV and 20 IBU it's almost too easy to drink. Soon there will be specialty glassware we've ordered specifically for this beer that you can take home with you!
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Colorado Beer News is published on Fermentedly Challenged daily (Monday through Friday) with craft beer stories as they break from newsletters, emails and social media sites. This news is intended for audiences of legal drinking age (21+). If you'd like to subscribe to this daily by email, sign-up here. Please, always drink responsibly and use a designated driver.